Orthogonal Experimental Studies on Preparation of Mine-Filling Materials from Carbide Slag, Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag, Fly Ash, and Flue-Gas Desulphurisation Gypsum

Abstract

Environmentally friendly and cheap composite green cementitious materials have been prepared from carbide slag, fly ash, flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) gypsum, and granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) without using cement clinker. Orthogonal testing was used to investigate the effects of the raw materials on the amount of water required for reaching standard consistency and consistency, setting time, slump value, and strength of the produced materials after curing for 7 d and 28 d. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used for the analysis of the sample microstructure and hydration products as well as for the exploration of possible hydration mechanisms. We found that, among the utilised raw materials, the addition of FGD gypsum had the most significant effect on the setting time and amount of water required for reaching standard consistency and consistency, while the addition of GBFS deeply affected the slump value. The optimal activation results were obtained when the mass ratio of carbide slag : fly ash : GBFS : FGD gypsum was equal to 12.1 : 60.6 : 18.2 : 9.1.